This fun line pulls pockets and edges with a crux between the second and third bolt, with continuous slightly easier climbing above. A small bulge guards the chains.
Location
Face Dancer is located 7 bolted lines to the left of the Fallen Idol Pillar. It is the second line up a small pedestal / ramp on the left side of the Fallen Idol face. A newer "Unknown" route (10+) starts immediately right of Face Dancer, while Wicker Man (11a) is right of this.
Not to take away from Brett Ruckman's prolific accomplishments, but for the record, he is not one who established and FA'd this route. I bolted it in the summer of 1994 with Mitsuru Kitagawa and Bruno Lanson. At the time there were no other routes on this wall. Totally empty. I was inspired to bolt it because the rock on this portion of the cliff is somewhat polished in places and it shines quite brightly when the sunlight strikes it at certain times in the day. Seeing this "shining wall" from the camp ground below lured me into taking a closer look. Soon after the route was born, traveling up through a shiny section on terrific rock. As a bit of trivia, the reason the lower bolts initially trend to the right and then jog back left was to avoid a huge loose flake. It hung there precariously and I didn't want anyone to go near it. The obvious line was to go straight over it, but safer judgment overruled temptation. Later that summer (or perhaps the next spring) I foisted a crowbar up and pried it off with very little persuasion, the remnants of which are buried in the dirt below and down the hillside. The route name comes from watching a pair of climbers ascending the line from the campground below one late afternoon. As the solitary lead climber gracefully made their way up that empty but shiny wall, the name Face Dancer seemed very fitting.
RSS Feed
